Earth Soil Mineral & Metamorphic Sedimentary – Geology
This lesson is about Earth Soil, Mineral, Metamorphic, Sedimentary Geology.
Catastrophism
Earth’s landscapes were shaped primarily by catastrophes
Uniformitarianism
The physical, chemical, and biologic laws that operate today have operated throughout the geologic past
Sea Floor Spreading
New oceanic crust is created along Mid-Oceanic Ridges and moves away from the ridge
Atmosphere
Gases that envelop the Earth
Hydrosphere
Water on or near the Earth’s surface
Cryosphere
Frozen regions of Earth (ice, snow)
Biosphere
All living or once-living materials
Solid rocky Earth
Igneous rocks
Cooling and solidification of magma (molten rock)
• Sediments are derived from weathering of
preexisting rocks
• Sediments will lithify into sedimentary rocks
• Accumulate in layers at Earth’s surface
Metamorphic rocks
• Formed by “changing” preexisting igneous, sedimentary, or other metamorphic rocks
• Driving forces are heat and pressure
Rock Cycle
Allows us to visualize the
interrelationships among different parts of the Earth system
Shields
Are expansive, flat regions of deformed
crystalline rocks in the cratons
Cratons
Are the stable interior of the continents
Stable platforms
Are the flat portions of cratons covered with a thin veneer of sedimentary rocks
Continental margins
are the portion of the seafloor
adjacent to major landmasses
continental shelf
is a gently sloping region of
continental crust extending from the shore
continental slope
is a relatively steep dropoff
that extends from the continental shelf to the deep
ocean floor
continental rise
consists of a thick wedge of sediment that moved downward from the continental shelf and slope to accumulate on the seafloor
Deep ocean basins
are the portions of the seafloor between the continental margins and the oceanic ridges
abyssal plain
is a flat feature of the deep ocean basin
Deep-ocean trenches
are deep and relatively narrow depressions that make up only a small portion of the ocean floor
Seamounts
are small volcanic structures that dot the ocean floor
Oceanic ridges
are the most prominent feature on the ocean floor and are composed of igneous rock that has been fractured and uplifted
absolute motion
motion relative to an external reference frame
relative motion
absolute motions of plates leads to their motion relative to each other
What is the category name for the largest division of time used on the geologic time scale?
Eon
Why is the geologic time scale more detailed in the Phanerozoic than in previous eons?
The Phanerozoic Eon is more detailed because of the presence of organisms with hard parts and the rapid increase in biodiversity.
The Jurassic Period lies in the _____ Era, which was dominated by large terrestrial vertebrates, or _____.
Mesozoic; dinosaurs
Using a calendar year as an analogy to the geologic time scale, when do the oldest anatomically modern humans appear on Earth?
The oldest human fossils show up at about eleven minutes to midnight on December 31st.
Name the epoch, period, era and eon in which we currently live.
We live in the Holocene Epoch of the Quaternary Period, which is part of the Cenzoic Era and Phanerozoic Eon.
The layers of Earth are based on what two sets of characteristics?
Chemical composition and physical properties
What is the D” layer?
A partially molten layer above the outer core at the base of the mantle.
The upper mantle can be divided into the asthenosphere and lithosphere based on what physical properties?
The asthenosphere is solid, but mobile, while the lithosphere is solid and relatively rigid.
What are the two types of crust?
Oceanic and continental
What happens to the atmosphere as you move away from Earth’s surface?
The atmosphere thins.
What is the difference between magma and lava?
Magma is molten rock located below the surface; lava is molten rock erupted above ground.
What are the two most important driving forces of metamorphism?
High heat and pressure
_____ igneous rocks are those that cool below the surface.
Intrusive
What are the two important processes involved in lithification of sedimentary rocks?
Cementation and compaction
An igneous rock becomes buried, is subject to high heat and pressure, and recrystallizes. This rock then is eroded, transported, deposited and subsequently lithified. Which rock types—in order—did the original igneous rock develop into?
Metamorphic and sedimentary
Which statement accurately describes continental shields?
Very old, stable regions composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks
What evidence supports that the glaciers on the southern continents were once part of a single, massive ice sheet?
Striations
The lithosphere is composed of material from the ________ and the rigid part of the ________.
Crust; Upper Mantle
Which type of convergence will result in a volcanic island arc?
Oceanic-Oceanic
Deep-ocean trenches are formed by _______.
Deep-ocean trenches are formed by _______.
Which of the following is not part of the definition of a mineral?
Naturally occurring
Definite chemical composition
Organic(X)
Orderly crystalline structure
Match the type of atomic bond with the correct definition.
Ionic Bond
Complete transfer of electrons between atoms
subduction In Convergent
ne plate descends below another; oceanic crust is “consumed” Plates to one another
– recycled back into the mantle
Luster
This property describes the appearance of reflected light from the mineral’s surface.